Defiant
human rights activist Gao Zhisheng tells Jonathan Watts in Beijing that
Europe must not ‘honeymoon’ with a state that murders millions
Sunday January 29, 2006
The Observer
France,
Germany and other states that have coddled up to the Communist
dictatorship in Beijing will one day have to answer to the Chinese
people, one of the country’s leading civil rights activist has told The
Observer.
Gao Zhisheng, a firebrand lawyer who has defended hundreds
of victims of torture and persecution, said the Communist party was
responsible for more deaths than the Nazis, but Western governments
turned a blind eye because they were desperate to trade with the
world’s fastest growing economy.
‘When
the Nazis slaughtered Jews, the outside world condemned them,’ he said.
‘But the Communist party has taken the lives of 80 million people, 13
times more than the death toll among the Jews, yet the world says
nothing.’
Gao’s comments are particularly remarkable because he
still lives in Beijing, where he is vulnerable to retribution. He says
his phone is bugged, his 12-year-old daughter is followed to school and
more than 30 agents monitor his every move. Last month, his law firm’s
licence was revoked and last week he was warned he faces arrest. Ten
days ago an unmarked car attempted to run him down. But he is defiant. Full Article
Call for release of journalist Li
Yuanlong
Reporters Without Borders urged the release of journalist Li
Yuanlong, who was arrested on 29 September 2005 by members
of the security bureau in Guizhou province in south-west China, after
posting articles online exposing local people’s wretched living
standards.
"We are outraged by this arrest", said Reporters Without Borders.
"This latest censorship proves the Chinese authorities’ unease
over escalating social problems."
The 45-year-old journalist on Bijie Ribao was on his way to
work in the town of Bijie when he was picked up by the security
bureau. His home, which was already under surveillance before his
arrest, was immediately searched.
His wife, Yang Nushi and his son have not received any news about him
and have not been allowed to visit him in prison in Bijie. "He was
already in very poor health," said his wife, who fears he will not
survive his prison conditions.
She is also worried about the family’s welfare. "His salary has
not been paid since Li Yuanlong’s arrest, which has plunged us into
huge financial difficulties," she added to journalists on The
Epoch Times.
The journalist’s file was transferred on 22 October to the
office of the Bijie district prosecutor. After a month-long
investigation he sent back the file to the provincial court, saying
that there was insufficient evidence to put him on trial.
Li faces charges of incitement to subversion for posting articles
online highlighting society’s failings and calling for freedom and
democracy. Two articles headlined, "In my head, I am an American
national" and "Be born simply, die miserably" were seen by the
Chinese communist party as particularly "serious".<!–
D(["mb","
\n
\nThe party has also been angered by his reports. "Li Yuanlong\ninterviewed a lot of poor children who were unable to go to school,"\nsaid his wife. "The publication of these articles had a huge effect,\nwhich led to funds being collected to pay for them to go back to\nschool (..). However, the local party banned him from publishing these\ninterviews, accusing him of showing society\’s negative side."
\n
\nMore than 62 cyberdissidents are currently in prison in China,\nincluding Yang Tianshui, who arrested in Nanjing in December\n2005 for posting articles online. He is being held secretly and has\nnot been allowed to see a lawyer. His family do not know where he is\nimprisoned.
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nLi Yuanlong, 45 ans, journaliste pour le Bijie Ribao, a\nété arrêté le 29 septembre 2005 par les membres du Bureau de la\nsécurité de la province du Guizhou (Sud-Ouest). Il est accusé\nd\’avoir publié une série d\’articles sur Internet dans lesquels\nil dénonce notamment les conditions de vie misérables des\npopulations défavorisées du Guizhou.
\n
\n« Nous sommes scandalisés par cette arrestation. Cette nouvelle\ncensure prouve le malaise des autorités chinoises face aux\nproblèmes sociaux grandissants », a déclaré Reporters sans\nfrontières.
\n
\nLe 29 septembre 2005, le journaliste a été arrêté dans la\nville de Bijie par des hommes du Bureau de la sécurité de la\nprovince du Guizhou, alors qu\’il se rendait au travail. Son\ndomicile, déjà placé sous surveillance avant son arrestation, a\nété immédiatement perquisitionné. Sa femme Yang Nushi et son\nfils n\’ont reçu aucune nouvelle du journaliste et n\’ont pas\nété autorisés à lui rendre visite à la maison de détention\nde Bijie où il est gardé. « Il était déjà en très\nmauvaise santé », a déclaré sa femme qui craint fortement\nqu\’il ne survive pas à ses conditions de détention. Elle\ns\’inquiète également pour le sort de sa famille : « Depuis\nl\’arrestation de Li Yuanlong, son salaire ne lui a plus été\nversé, ce qui nous plonge dans d\’immenses difficultés\nfinancières », a-t-elle ajouté aux journalistes de”,1]
);
//–>
The party has also been angered by his reports. "Li Yuanlong
interviewed a lot of poor children who were unable to go to school,"
said his wife. "The publication of these articles had a huge effect,
which led to funds being collected to pay for them to go back to
school (..). However, the local party banned him from publishing these
interviews, accusing him of showing society’s negative side."
More than 62 cyberdissidents are currently in prison in China,
including Yang Tianshui, who arrested in Nanjing in December
2005 for posting articles online. He is being held secretly and has
not been allowed to see a lawyer. His family do not know where he is
imprisoned.
Yan Sham-Shackleton Online 
Wow, Gao Zhisheng is a real hero. China needs more courageous individuals like him to speak up for ordinary people’s rights.
And obviously I support the release of that journalist. It goes to show how meaningless China’s constitutional “freedoms” are.
LikeLike